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U.S. President Barack Obama - In their own words, global leaders and those who admired Nelson Mandela's inestimable contribution to the world. — By Nikola Lashley "He achieved more than can be expected of any man. Today he has gone home. He no longer belongs to us; he now belongs to the ages."  (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar - "A distinguished world citizen and the ultimate statesman and his life contribution to the world and humanity is immeasurable and his legacy will impact the world positively forever."(Photo: REUTERS/Andrea De Silva)

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Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller - “It is with tremendous and utter sadness that I convey the heartfelt sympathy of the Government and people of Jamaica on the loss of the father of the South African nation, Nelson Rolihlahla 'Madiba' Mandela. The world has lost a courageous fighter, an enlightened leader, and a quintessential statesman." (Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

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UK Prime Minister David Cameron - “He was not only a hero of our time but a hero of all time. He was the first president of a free South Africa, a man who suffered so much for freedom and justice and a man who through his dignity and through his triumph inspired millions. “ (Photo: Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images

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Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair - "Through his leadership, he guided the world into a new era of politics in which black and white, developing and developed, north and south, despite all the huge differences in wealth and opportunity, stood for the first time together on equal terms."(Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

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ANC Youth League - “We are deeply saddened by the passing away of our third president of the ANC Youth League and we express our heartfelt condolences to the family, the country and world, and we call upon all young Africans and young people everywhere to live up to the efforts and values that Mandela stood for; values of service, resilience, commitment and humility." (Photo: ANCYL)

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Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan - Madiba’s death will create a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill in our continent. He will be sorely missed by all who cherish love, peace and freedom the world over and will be eternally honoured for his immense contribution to the dismantling of the apartheid policy, one of the world’s most obnoxious systems whose under-pining philosophy was the degradation of man by man. (Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Muno)

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - "In the decades-long fight against apartheid, the United Nations stood side-by-side with Nelson Mandela and all those in South Africa who faced unrelenting racism and discrimination. His 1994 address to the General Assembly as the first democratically elected President of a free South Africa was a defining moment."   (Photo: AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

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Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper - “Nelson Mandela’s enduring legacy for his country, and the world, is the example he set through his own long walk to freedom. With grace and humility, he modelled how peoples can transform their own times and in doing so, their own lives.“ (Photo: Jag Gundu/Getty Images)

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Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan - "God was so good to us in South Africa by giving us Nelson Mandela to be our president at a crucial moment in our history," Tutu said. "He inspired us to walk the path of forgiveness and reconciliation and so South Africa did not go up in flames." (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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President of China Xi Jinping - President Xi Jinping of China, which supported apartheid's opponents throughout the Cold War, praised Mandela's victory in the anti-apartheid struggle and his contribution to "the cause of human progress."  (Photo: AP Photo/Sergei Ilnitsky, Pool)

Photo By Photo: AP Photo/Sergei Ilnitsky

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Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter - "His passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide," Carter said.(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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Prince William and his wife, Kate - "We were just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was," William said. (Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for St James's Palace)

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Haitian President Michel Martelly - "Mandela is not only the father of democracy in South Africa, but is also a symbol of democracy," said Haitian President Michel Martelly. "And like any symbol, he is not dead. He is present in all of us and guides us by his lifestyle, his courage and faith in the true struggle for equality." (Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

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French President Francois Hollande - "Mandela's message will not disappear. It will continue to inspire those fighting for freedom and to give confidence to people defending just causes and universal rights," said French President Francois Hollande, who is hosting dozens of African leaders this week for a summit on peace and security.  (Photo: Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images)

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Myanmar Pro-Democracy Leader Aung San Suu Kyi - "I would like to express my extreme grief at the passing away of the man who stood for human rights and for equality in this world," she said. "He also made us understand that we can change the world." (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

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India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - "A giant among men has passed away. This is as much India's loss as South Africa's. He was a true Gandhian. His life and work will remain a source of eternal inspiration for generations to come." (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott - "He spent much of his life standing against the injustice of apartheid. When that fight was won, he inspired us again by his capacity to forgive and reconcile his country," Abbott said. (Photo: Stefan Postles/Getty Images)

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Israeli President Shimon Peres - Israeli President Shimon Peres said Mandela was a "builder of bridges of peace and dialogue" who changed the course of history. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

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Madiba Restaurant, New York, USA  - “His amazing influence has transcended borders; he was a great, great man who somehow managed to reconcile the irreconcilable.”  (Photo: Courtesy of Madiba Resturant)